Break My Body
by CaptainSabishii
Summary: It's funny how it seems so easy to take the most important things to us for granted until they're no longer there. The road to recovery will be a long one. Vi/Caitlyn
1. Bang Bang Goes the Gun

"Get back here you little punk!"

Vi's rough bark echoed throughout the concrete alley she was sprinting through, Caitlyn right at her side. Ahead several metres, splashing through the muddy puddles littered across the pavement, was Jinx, running for her life and cackling all the way. The Loose Cannon's lithe, rail-thin form flipped around, sending a barrage of rockets exploding out of Fishbones' gaping maw and directly towards the rampaging bruiser. With a rising whir, Vi charged up a Vault Breaker, and smashed the rockets by a deafening boom. Her Blast Shield taking the brunt of the damage, Vi skipped nary a beat as she began picking up the pace. She was done chasing the young demolitionist only to have her slip through her fingers like smoke. This time, she was catching Jinx, and that was it.

"Might I suggest protocol 2, Vi?" Caitlyn shouted, still cringing from the ear-splittingly loud explosion that had barely missed singing her skin. Normally, she would chastise Vi for her dangerous and frankly irresponsible actions, but Caitlyn knew the score here; she knew just how badly Vi was thirsting for Jinx's blood.

The last few months had been a disappointing parade of close calls and failures, the majority of which had ended with Caitlyn getting severely reprimanded and the city of Piltover suffering for it. Caitlyn had spent many days and many nights cleaning up after Vi as she had her little fits of rage, little things being shattered and curses being shouted into the night air. If they could end it here, Caitlyn would be more than pleased. So, despite her previous reservations, Caitlyn was going to do it.

Tonight, she would let Vi off her leash. She would let nothing hold her back, and get the job done, any destruction be damned.

Vi nodded vigorously in congruence; just chasing this criminal down the alley would get them nowhere. They had learned this many times. Despite the duo having essentially almost ruled this city for the past few years, and learned every street and alley like the cracks in their skin, it seemed like Jinx somehow knew them more. One way or another, conventional chasing would lead to Jinx disappearing into thin air, nothing but the acrid smell of smoke and her haunting laugh in the air to suggest she was even there. "Sure thing, cupcake!"

With that, the Sheriff broke off at the next possible street, leaving the long string of alleys and leaving the chase to Vi. Vi grinned maliciously, pushing herself to move faster despite being weighed down by the heavy hextech gauntlets. _You're all mine, freak._

With a loud cackle and a hiss, Jinx tossed back a handful of flame chompers, which quickly began snapping at the air, hoping to catch Vi's ankles in their jaws.

"Gotta be faster than that, _Fathands!_" Jinx screeched in delight, sliding her tiny, agile body through a hole in the fence at the end of the alley.

"_Not so fast!_" Vi roared, taking a running jump and swinging over the chompers' range with the aid of an overhead fire escape. With a loud crack, Vi threw herself gauntlet-first through the dilapidated wooden fence. Rolling and landing in a crouch on the other side, Vi scanned her surroundings to see where the blue-haired ball of trouble had run off to. Perplexingly, the street she'd thrown herself into appeared to be empty; nothing but the distant sound of sirens and traffic bouncing off the worn cobblestone streets.

_Shit_.

There was no way Vi could have lost her so easily. She'd only been a heartbeat behind her, and while agile, there was no way the gunner was _that_ fast. Vi took off in the nearest direction when she was suddenly being crushed, her face slamming painfully into the damp pavement, a combat boot placed squarely against the back of her skull.

"Piltover's Finest? More like Piltover's Lamest." A low, teasing voice taunted in Vi's ear. The enforcer growled, and struggled to push the smaller girl off her, but received a sharp kick to the skull as a reward. Stars exploded behind her eyelids, and the sudden rush of nausea made Vi want to throw up on the very cement her face had just bounced off of. Vi groaned as Jinx dug her boot into the back of her head, grinding her face uncomfortably against the pavement.

"So, Fathands, where did Hat Lady get off to?" Jinx made an exaggerated sweeping gesture, making binoculars with her hands and inspecting the area. "Can't believe she'd just up and leave you behind!" The gunner gave a dramatic huff and thrust her hands onto her hips, bending over to lean into Vi's ear once more. She bit her lip in a teasing, almost seductive manner, breathing heavily into Vi's ear. "Maybe I should go track her down for you, Fathands? You just wait right here, and I'm gonna go have a little _talk_ with Little Miss Sheriff!" With that, Jinx leapt off Vi's downed form, and made to take off. With a loud, animalistic growl, Vi wrenched her gauntlet forward, ripping Jinx back by the ankle, rejuvenated by the threats to her superior officer.

"_No, you don't, freak!_" Vi howled, pulling her gauntlet back for the punch. Jinx grinned sadistically in Vi's grip, wriggling out and ducking her head just in time for Vi to bury her gauntlet in the pavement. She just had to keep Jinx busy long enough that Caitlyn could set up a sniper position, and get a good mark on the little brat-

"_Target in my sights!_" Came the accented voice, strained with focus, rattling out of Vi's earpiece. _Finally!_ Vi was beginning to fear that Caitlyn would take too long, and their nemesis would daringly slip from their grasp yet again. A cocky grin plastered to her face, Vi ripped her gauntlet out of the ruined pavement, and lunged for the blue-haired demon again. Jinx had the upper hand, however; while Vi stumbled slightly, off balance from the effort of ripping her gauntlet out from where she had buried it, the gunner had pulled out Pow-Pow, and, with a malicious glint in her eye, began revving it up. The enforcer's eyes widened as she heard the tell-tale sound of the minigun beginning to spin, and quickly threw her large gauntlets up as a shield, her own Blast Shield throwing itself up as protection. Vi clenched her teeth, her mind racing as she grasped for a way to counter the attack.

That is, until the familiar crash of a sniper's bullet ripped through the night air, harmonized quickly with a sickeningly high pitched screech of pain that could only have come from the gunner before her. The hail of bullets quickly stopped, and Vi let down her guard to see Jinx had let Pow-Pow fall to the concrete and was holding her shoulder. A long trail of blood was rushing down her arm, seeping out from beneath the small, nimble fingers trying to hold it. Jinx wasn't stopped for long; her magenta eyes met Vi's once more, looked more crazed and deranged than Vi had ever seen them, and without hesitation, she whipped out her Zap gun. With a sadistic smirk, she pointed it at Vi, and pulled the trigger.

"Zap zap, Fathands!"

The blast of energy hit Vi hard, the electricity immediately crippling her muscles. Vi was knocked over by the force of it, the burning sensation ripping across her body and forcing her limbs into submission. She cried out, pulling in raspy gasps of air like she was drowning. She could've sworn she'd shredded every muscle in her body in the one hit. _Like taser training_, Vi thought raggedly. It brought her back to her formal police training, being forcibly shot with a taser on a low setting to show her what it was like. But this, _this _was a thousand times worse. Vi struggled with all her might to pull herself back up, at least into a crouching position, but to no avail.

Jinx, however, was in no such position. Her magenta eyes, still filled with fury and depravity, scanned the skyline for the sniper who had caused the throbbing pulse in her shoulder. Low and behold, only a couple buildings away, perched on top like an eagle stalking its prey, was the Sheriff of Piltover herself, evidently lining up for another shot to get the gunner away from Vi's prone body. Crazed eyes met blue ones, which widened slightly when they noticed the nimble hands pulling Fishbones out once more.

"You've really done it this time!" Jinx deadpanned, her rocket launcher beginning to whir and emit heat and smoke. "I was all ready to make nice and just play a game and just be friends, but you had to go and ruin it!" Jinx shot a look down at Vi, who was still struggling against the effects of the zap, and laughed. Vi was halfway up, her back and arms shaking with the electricity jumping across her muscles. Jinx had to say, she was impressed with the enforcer's tenacity; the voltage in her Zap gun would be enough to render something as big as Volibear motionless for at least a few minutes. But here she was, shaky and rigid, but with a fire in her eyes that said she wasn't even close to giving in.

"I hope you've given Hatlady your love and appreciation, Fathands, because she's about to go bye-bye!" The girl began giggling, the massive rocket launcher in her hand spraying out smoke and fire, trembling with the enormous rocket just _begging_ to be unchained. Vi managed a strangled gasp, staring where the rocket was aimed for. Caitlyn had grabbed her sniper and was turning tail, desperate to get the hell away from the rocket and its death sentence. Vi pushed herself harder than she ever had before, straining her abused body to move with a guttural bellow. With a final push, she rammed her massive gauntlets into Jinx's petite body, slamming her into the ground with a pained thud. She couldn't stop the massive warhead that exploded forth from the rocket launcher, however; it had already burst out of the gate and blasted into the night like an obscene firecracker. _No!_

"_Cait!_" Vi coughed out, her voice struggling to get out of her throat as her weight lay on top of the demolitionist. Vi could do little but watch as the massive rocket swirled through the air like a fighter jet, making its mark in the center of the building Caitlyn had been standing on. When it hit, an eerie dead silence seemed to blanket the street, drowning out even the quickly approaching sirens from all sides. The silence lasted barely a half second as the building was quickly turned into a brilliant fireworks display, a tremendous explosion of heat and sound and a flurry of sparks and flames that seemed to rise up like a skyscraper. Vi's eyes widened, gaping as the ringing in her ears overtook the sound of the explosion that was quickly bringing the building Caitlyn had been standing on into a pile of charred rubble. Vi's heartbeat pounded in her eardrums, sounding in time with the ringing noise from the blast.

And then came the laughter.

Jinx's shrill laughter lit up the acrid night air like a match to gasoline, rising higher and higher until it was burning into Vi's brain.

Soon after came the first enraged slam of a hextech gauntlet into her shaking form.


	2. Wildfire

Crunch.

Crunch.

Despite the massive fists colliding with her body, Jinx's laughter could not be stopped. Her body was trembling terribly from the force of it, tears running down her face and mixing with the blood beginning to leak from her nostrils.

"Stop - laughing - you - _fucking freak_!" Vi screamed, her voice a primal combination of unbridled rage and intense heartache. She'd just watched Caitlyn - _Caitlyn_, the only person who'd ever believed in her, ever saw potential in her, ever had the bravery to call her friend - get brought down with a rocket fired by the mental patient currently pinned beneath her hips. And all she could do was _laugh_!

With a loud bang and hiss, Vi disengaged her gauntlets and let them drop to the cement. She needed to feel Jinx's skin, her blood, her bones give underneath her own fists. She wanted to make this personal, wanted to feel the life drain out of Jinx's veins the same way it was out of Vi.

"Whatsamatter, Fathands?" Jinx grinned despite the torrents of blood now running into her mouth and smearing her teeth. The look gave her the impression of a cornered animal, wounded, and with nothing to lose. "I bet Hatlady thought that was a real _blast_!" Another fit of psychotic giggles at her own twisted sense of humor erupted from the bloodstained mouth.

Vi let out a howl, and held nothing back. She began beating her fists into Jinx's smaller body, again and again, until she could no longer tell whose blood was whose. She couldn't even hear her own howls like a wounded animal over her pulse racing in her ears.

"_Officer_!" a masculine voice shouted from behind her, strong hands grabbing her pulled back fist and trying to pull her off the gunner's bloodied form. Vi wasn't having any of it, though; she fought off his grip, throwing him onto his back. She continued pummelling the laughing figure below her, tears jumping down her own cheeks with every thrust.

It seemed the cavalry had arrived, along with the fire department and a few ambulances.

Vi was ending this now.

She took her bloodied hands, and with a few shuddering breaths, threw them around Jinx's neck. She clamped around it tightly, the desire to kill burning in her eyes.

"Go ahead, Fathands!" Jinx choked out, her bloodied lips still pulling back into a smile. "Kill me if you think that'll change things!"

"_Shut up!_" Vi roared, her rage and irritation only increasing. Jinx was acting as though she'd won; as though somehow, pushing Vi to the brink was worth her life, and proved her superiority. _We'll see who's laughing when I snap your scrawny fucking neck!_

"Maybe you'll get lucky!" Jinx was spitting now, barely able to speak and her eyes beginning to lose their light. "Maybe you'll manage to find a finger, or maybe even her hat!"

"_Stop!_"

Before Vi could exert what little force she had left to break the demolitionist's neck, she found herself thrown off her body by an unbelievably strong hand. Vi looked up from the ground to see Jayce, the so-called Defender of Tomorrow, standing over Jinx's ragged body, a grim expression set into his rugged face.

"Jayce, what the fuck?" Vi snarled, struggling to pull herself back up. She'd taken quite a toll on her body, the exhaustion beginning to catch up with her.

"What the hell yourself, Vi." He responded gruffly, placing his hammer down on the wet cement. He examined Jinx's face, puffy and grotesque and already starting to bruise. He gave a noise almost like sympathy, and gingerly slung the broken gunner over his shoulder. "You are an officer of the law, not an animal. Do you think this makes you any better than her?" He glanced down at Vi's dumbfounded face, hiding the shock he felt behind a mask of severity.

He had seen before what Vi was capable of. As an officer of the law and as a Champion of the League of Legends, Vi was well known for her ruthless brutality. She was courageous , determined, and filled to the brim with one of the most passionate fighting spirits the League had ever seen. But despite this, he'd never seen her be cruel. Despite her rough, gruff exterior, Jayce knew Vi had a heart of gold. So to see her pushed to such extremes, to seem almost as crazed and out of control as Jinx herself, was enough to almost frighten him. The way the hextech streetlamps made Vi's face look gaunt and hollow made Jayce increasingly unnerved.

Vi was taken aback by Jayce's harsh words. She looked down at her bloodied knuckles, torn open and raw. She couldn't tell what blood had come from Jinx or had slithered out from her own open wounds. She realized with a sickening turn of her stomach that Jayce was right; in her rampage, she had lost control. She was better than that. It made her feel sick to imagine what Caitlyn would think if she had seen that rampant display of violence.

_Caitlyn!_

Suddenly reinvigorated, Vi hauled herself to a standing position. Hurriedly she thrust her filthy hands back into the warm embrace of her gauntlets. With a whir, they powered back up, the burdensome weight already becoming more bearable. With Jinx safely in Jayce's custody, Vi took off sprinting towards the semi-demolished building Caitlyn had last been seen on. As she ran past, Jinx began a weak giggle. Her body hung limply over Jayce's shoulder, long arms swinging lamely and blood running from her face onto the back of Jayce' jacket.

"Here I come to save the day... Or _wreck it!_ " Jinx crooned weakly in a sing song voice. The jab at Vi did not go unnoticed; the enforcer couldn't help but feel that was just the case. Had she made things worse with her aggressive attitude? Had she let her personal feelings bring her down?

She skittered across the pavement to a halt right before the building in question. The fire department was already there, scoping out the scene. It was a mess of different uniformed men and women scrambling around trying to get a hold on the chaos. Spotting an officer by the entrance, Vi jogged over to him, heart racing.

"Are there any reported survivors?" Vi demanded, in no mood to be slowed down. The man shook his head.

"Crews just got on the scene, deputy. We're just trying to get inside. By our information, it should be a pretty empty building anyways; just offices and file storage. Maybe some custodial crew or security." he replied gruffly. He was one of Caitlyn's oldest officers on the force. Definitely a man to be trusted. Vi looked up to the several stories that were decimated above. She didn't have time to wait for the fire crews and officers to get their shit together and get inside.

_Sometimes, you gotta make a door._

With that thought, Vi took off to the large oak double doors that prefaced the offices. Without hesitation, she clamped her huge gauntlets around the doors, and ripped them clean off their hinges. Throwing them aside with a slam, Vi ventured inside the ruined building. She heard a chorus of voices informing her it was too dangerous to go inside and telling her to come back, but it was too late.

Vi was coming back with Caitlyn, or she wasn't coming back at all.

Vi wandered the first floor, deftly weaving between the fallen furniture and shattered glass lying all around. The halls were still filled with a smokey haze, making it difficult for the enforcer to both see and breathe.

During her journey to find the staircase that would bring her upstairs, Vi noticed a few prone bodies lying crushed beneath fallen bookshelves and equipment. _Like he said, most likely custodial staff,_ Vi thought, urging herself forward. She couldn't tell if they were still alive or not, but she couldn't stop to make sure; the troops would find them, and help them if they could. Right now, Caitlyn was in much more trouble.

Vi found the staircase door locked, and ripped it off its hinges as well. The stench of smoke and gunpowder was stronger from here. Definitely the right direction.

She vaulted herself up the stairs, taking them two at a time. The further up she went, she felt more of a breeze, and could hear the units on the street yelling orders to one another.

She finally came out onto a landing where much of the building had been destroyed. She could see the sky where the ceiling should have been. If Cait was anywhere, it was here.

The entire floor was covered in debris, bricks and beams and office furniture creating a disastrous nest. Vi surveyed the scene, searching desperately for any sign of the sheriff.

"Cait?" Vi called out, using her strength to begin moving apart the rubble. The place was a mess, a flurry of charred papers, destroyed architecture, and still-smoldering support beams. After a few moments, Vi started becoming frantic. Where was she? Where was her closest friend amongst this mess?

Finally, Vi saw it. Sticking out from beneath a pile of bricks was Caitlyn's prized sniper rifle. Vi took off towards it, carefully pulling it out and setting it aside, and began ripping the debris apart to dig to the bottom.

Soon enough, beneath a bookshelf buried under the rubble, a dirtied porcelain hand appeared. Vi gingerly pulled the bookcase up, and was startled by what she saw.

Caitlyn, the sheriff of Piltover, renowned for her beauty and intellect, was a mess. Her left arm was twisted in a completely unnatural way, very clearly broken. The purple dress Vi had become so fond of, silky and smooth like Caitlyn's voice, was torn apart and stained with soot and no small amount of blood. Her torso had a number of burns and lacerations snaking their way across her shoulders and collar bones. But most frightening to Vi was the large, bloody mess situated above her temple. Her hair, usually beautiful and silky smooth, was matted with crimson and drywall and quite a lot of ash. She looked like she was already gone, her mouth hanging open in an unflattering way, red tendrils still seeping down her snow white cheeks.

Slowly, carefully, Vi slipped her huge mechanical hands beneath Caitlyn's still body, and lifted her into her waiting lap. Vi could barely see her through the tears sitting in her eyes. Delicately, Vi placed her head against Caitlyn's chest, a pierced ear brushing her collar bone, searching for any vital signs.

Ba-dump.

Faint. But certainly there.

The distant heartbeat seemed to cause Vi's world to quake. She couldn't hold back anymore.

Vi's body tremored with the tears fueled by the nearly tangible relief ripping through her. She pulled Caitlyn's prone form closer, careful not to hurt her, but equally desperate to never let her go again.


	3. Bring Down the Hammer

Jayce could not believe how this day was turning out.

Just a few hours earlier he had been happily toiling away in his lab, humming serenely to himself under his breath. Since his induction into the League of Legends, his Mercury Hammer had taken its fair share of damage. Countless skirmishes and battles had pushed Jayce to further improve his invention. Now, years after he had invented the weapon, it was barely recognizable as the original piece of machinery. The weapon in question lay on a long oak workbench, pieces pulled apart and shining under the bright spotlights of the lab.

"Gotta improve the firing rate, grease the slide here, make the transformation faster and more seamless..." Jayce mumbled to himself, gently placing down his tools on the large workbench. With a pleased sigh, he pulled back his safety goggles to his hairline, and picked up his coffee mug. He sipped from it enthusiastically, flipping through the blueprints of the current modifications he was making.

He was quite proud of them, he had to admit. He'd found in his last few matches in the Summoner's Rift that his Hammer could use some work; in its Cannon form, it had a less than desirable firing rate, and the transformation between modes was becoming a little slow and clunky. Its speed had almost forced Jayce's head to become intimately acquainted with Jax's lamppost. Had it not just barely managed to switch back to a Hammer in time to knock the weaponsmaster backwards, Jayce's ruggedly handsome face would probably have been rearranged. So for now, he had work to do.

He'd become something of a legend around Piltover since his talents for techmaturgy had become more widely known. He'd even taken the notice of people like Heimerdinger, granting him funding from the Yordle Academy of Science and Progress to continue his techmaturgical research and design. And then, when he created the Mercury Hammer in response to Viktor's aggression, he truly carved out his niche in the scientific world. His Hammer was truly his masterpiece, and reveled in further improving it. He smiled down at it, pride almost beaming like sunlight out of his face.

It was then, as he wiped the grease off his angular face, that he saw the city's skyline out the window.

Framing the city's tall and pointed towers was a rising plume of smoke from the city's centre. Jayce frowned, pulling his safety goggles off entirely, and removing his thick work gloves. Smoke of that size could not mean anything good, especially with Jinx still on the loose. He quickly reassembled the hammer, making sure it would be operational if the need arose. Shrugging off his protective jacket, Jayce grabbed his usual leather gloves and slung the Mercury Hammer onto his back.

While not officially a member of the Piltover Police Force per se, Jayce was often invited to help in big cases or times when they needed more manpower. This often meant when Jinx came around. And lately, that was quite a lot.

Jayce jumped into his luxurious sports car, the hextech engine roaring to life in the still night air.

And that was how the Defender of Tomorrow had found himself standing in acrid, smoke-heavy air, staring at the ruined remains of a demolished building and holding one of the most dangerous criminals in the history of Piltover over his shoulder.

He watched as Vi stormed off wordlessly towards the demolished building. Who knew what she was up to now. Jayce sighed heavily, shifting the girl's weight on his shoulder. She was probably drooling blood all over the back of his jacket. He hurriedly flagged down a nearby officer.

"Take this one into custody. Heaviest security you got. You'll also probably want to get her some medical attention so she doesn't die on the way." Jayce said with an authoritative boom. Not many civilians could get away with giving orders to Piltover's Finest, but Jayce was an exception. Caitlyn respected his opinion and judgment, and the force knew it.

"Yes, sir." The officer responded, waving over an ambulance and some medics. They gingerly removed the weak and frail gunner from Jayce's grasp, strapping her down onto a gurney. She turned her puffy, bloodshot magenta eyes to meet Jayce's, and somehow managed to still crack a smile.

"See you around, Hammerhead," she croaked, blood still dribbling out from the sides f her mouth. "Hope the beloved sheriff gets to play again."

The bloody smile on her small, marble white face unnerved Jayce greatly. He was beginning to see why she got under Vi's skin so much. He felt a small pang of nervousness in his stomach, his blood beginning to run a little cold. He turned away from the psychopath, an addressed the officer beside him once more.

"Where _is_ Sheriff Caitlyn?" Jayce inquired, looking around. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen the sheriff since he had arrived, and she certainly wouldn't miss such huge altercation, _especially_ if Vi and Jinx were involved. He would have thought she'd be giving orders and trying to control all the damage, as well as her little wild dog on a leash, Vi.

To be honest, Jayce didn't think much of Vi. While he respected her strength and her tenacity as a warrior, as a person he found her very off-putting. She was loud, obnoxious, arrogant, and pig-headed. He knew of many, many instances where Vi's brash personality and refusal to follow orders had made things infinitely more difficult for the sheriff. Vi made it very clear that she cared for no one but herself, rushing ahead of everyone to satisfy her own childish desire to break everything in her path. Jayce wasn't entirely sure why Caitlyn kept Vi around when all she did was smash things like a bulldozer. Surely someone else could fill that role?

The officer was about to respond when there was a crash from the ruins of the demolished building. Jayce turned just in time to see Vi stumble through the demolished building's open doors, looking haggard and hollow, an ashen and bloody body held delicately in the massive grasp of her gauntlets. Matted and dirty brunette hair poured over the edges of her hands, a limp porcelain arm drooping and bouncing with each uneasy step Vi took. Jayce's stomach dropped. That had to be Caitlyn.

Jayce rushed forward, leaving his hammer forgotten on the wet pavement. Caitlyn, the sheriff of Piltover, the very picture of what an infallible, incorruptible, untouchable hero should be, was unconscious and very clearly in dire need of medical attention. As he approached the two, Jayce held out his arms, seeking to take Caitlyn from the weary looking Vi. To his surprise and chagrin, Vi refused. She threw him a dirty look through bleary, pink-tinged eyes that told him that he was wrong; she cared for _one_ person other than herself.

"Beat it, Jayce. I've got her. I have to get her to a hospital." Vi growled, her voice strained and rough. Her scarred eyebrow narrowed, warning him to leave Caitlyn with her, while simultaneously daring him to try to take her.

"Vi, give her to me. I'll see to it that she receives some medical attention." Jayce had no patience for Vi right now; not while Caitlyn was bleeding right before his eyes. But Vi was having none of it. Unceremoniously, she shoved past him, pulling the sheriff's prone body closer to her chest, eyeing Jayce with malice.

Jayce had made his intentions towards Caitlyn very clear to everyone. And he knew they would make a good couple; they shared a lot of the same values, both came from well-respected families, both were prominent figures in the fight to keep Piltover beautiful and safe... Jayce had every reason to develop a good and stable relationship with the sheriff.

He had not, however, counted on the interference of Vi. She hadn't even been a blip on his radar until it became apparent that Caitlyn was more interested in placing attention on her precious disciple than on him. And while Vi didn't very much show it, Jayce could tell she loved every second of it.

Vi had a terrible reputation; she was well-known for her criminal past, her loud foul mouth, her proclivities for drinking and brawling, and her natural way with women. Vi had slept her way through much of Piltover's punk and deadbeat scene, and had no shame for it. The thought made Jayce's teeth grate.

So to see Vi pulling the sheriff's body closer to her own made Jayce's head tingle slightly with envy. He knew, however, that the situation was much too dire to allow his competition with the bruiser criminal become more important than Caitlyn's well-being. Relenting, he let Vi go, returning stiffly to his fallen hammer. He picked it up gingerly, wiping some of the muck from its pristine and shiny surface with his jacket. As he looked, he noticed the blood that Jinx had leaked onto him. With a groan of annoyance, he pulled the jacket off. He was surprised with what he saw.

All along the back of his jacket, fingerpainted with Jinx's own blood, was a crude depiction of little stick figure Vi and Caitlyn being blown up, along with a cartoonish "BOOM" beside it. With a confused glance in the direction of the ambulance the young gunner was lying in, Jayce wondered not for the first time what could have happened to create such a maniac.

Seeing that Vi was carrying Caitlyn's body into an open ambulance, Jayce jogged to catch up to her. The sirens began wailing once more, and Jayce watched as news crews and civilians began wandering around past the police barricade to see what had happened.

_What a mess._

Peering into the ambulance, Jayce saw Piltover's enforcer sitting, arms crossed, gauntlets under the bench beneath her, as paramedics began preparing the ambulance to depart for the hospital. The two of them watched, stony-faced, as an EMT pulled Caitlyn's wild hair out of her face, and placed a large oxygen mask over her mouth. Jayce sat beside Vi, who barely acknowledged his presence,

looking more grim than he had ever seen her.

He looked over at Caitlyn's face, shrouded by the obtuse oxygen mask hiding her neat features. He'd gazed at her face more than he'd care to admit. He'd often invite her to dinner, or to an opera, or to any sort of excursion that could help pave the way to winning her affections. He'd longed to see her smile the way he'd seen Vi make her smile, longed for her to choose him among all the other suitors she fought off. But she never did. "Duty always calls," she'd say, but now, he had to wonder.

As the ambulance roared to life, the vehicle bouncing as it began its hurried race to the nearest hospital, Vi and Jayce locked eyes.

Vi's eyes were hard, her glare that met his seeming to burn into his mind. He had no doubt at all that the disdain he felt for her was sincerely mutual. She surprised him, however, when her violet eyes softened, turning towards Caitlyn's prone form. Slowly, delicately, she reached forward and took Caitlyn's hand into her own, squeezing it tightly and holding fast.

"She'll be all right," she whispered. "She has to be."

Jayce had no answer. He clenched his jaw, crossed his arms, and looked out the windows at the city quickly rushing past.

He hoped Vi was right.

* * *

I hope you all forgive me, I had my 20th birthday (yay me, I'm old!) and moving houses to deal with the last few weeks. Hope you don't mind the late update; hopefully the next won't take as long! Thank you as always for reading, and for the very kind support. I know my writing's a bit messy, but I'm trying my best to be quick but also write quality writing. Thanks for all the support!


	4. Flatline

The trip back to the hospital was a long and tense one. Vi tightened her grip on Caitlyn's delicate, spindly fingers. She had never held the older woman's hand before; her fingers were surprisingly thin and soft, nothing at all like Vi's own muscled and calloused digits. They weren't warm however, as Vi had always imagine they would be. They were wet and cold and covered in a light sheen of blood to match the wound on her forehead. Vi's heart constricted at the sight, and she held the fingers tighter.

She could feel Jayce's eyes flicker over to her every few minutes when he thought she wasn't looking. She could almost feel the envy pouring off him in waves. _Idiot_.

Jayce was a pompous asshole who could only think of the world in relation to himself. Everything was about him, his genius, his accomplishments, and his future prospects. Vi had no idea what his actual intentions towards Caitlyn were, and she didn't care to find out. Did he actually care about her? Or was she just another conquest, another shining medal to display in tribute to his supposed greatness?

Either way, it didn't matter. While Caitlyn respected the man, she showed absolutely no interest in him whatsoever. On several occasions she'd vented exasperatedly to Vi about her lack of desire to be dragged into a pseudo arranged marriage with the rich scientist. "I didn't work my arse off to become the youngest sheriff in Piltover just to become some socialite's trophy wife," she had moaned to Vi, who had snickered in response. It was true; to work so hard and to accomplish so much to still only be considered important because of your breeding and pedigree was an insult.

Not that Vi knew much about pedigree.

The sirens came back into Vi's ears as she snapped out of her reverie. She looked around, seeing Jayce had gotten up, large muscular arms holding himself steady as the jerking of the vehicle calmed down.

"We're here," he said, jaw tightened.

As they pulled into the receiving bay of Piltover General, a flurry of EMTs swarmed the ambulance, pushing Vi and Jayce and their weapons out of the way without hesitation. Caitlyn's stretcher was pulled out of the ambulance, the clanging and rattling of the metal almost imperceptible amongst the shouting of the paramedics. Within seconds, Caitlyn was being wheeled off at top speed through the swinging door of the emergency room, Vi and Jayce in hot pursuit. They were cut off suddenly, however, by a small, young looking nurse with a sympathetic but stern expression. Her sterile white uniform was blinding.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to two to stay out in the waiting area." She said, hugging a clipboard to her chest and gesturing down the hall with a slender finger. Vi's heart raced.

"Sorry, but I've got to make sure the Sheriff is all right. I need to be there." Vi exclaimed, her heart rising in her throat. She shifted her weight, tightening her grip on the heavy gauntlets underneath her arm. The nurse shook her head, her tight dark curls bouncing around her ebony-tinted skin with the motion.

"I'm sorry, Officer, but that's just not possible. If you want to make sure Sheriff Deramore pulls through, the best thing you can do is let the doctors do their work." With that, the young woman turned around and began speeding away. The clicking of her heels on the cold marble tiles began to fade as she turned a corner. Vi growled under breath, despising how helpless she felt. She knew logically that the nurse was right; her presence would help in absolutely no amount. Yet she still felt like it was wrong to leave Caitlyn alone in there. All Vi could see in her head was her beloved Sheriff, sprawled out on a steel operation table, the bright spotlight making her already pale skin look like she was already dead, the large spray of blood on her forehead not helping the scene. It looked like more like an autopsy than an operation. The thought made Vi's stomach do a nauseating flip. She began to take off for the closed doors when Jayce's large glove hand laid an iron grip on her shoulder.

"Did you listen to a thing she just said?" he inquired, his voice a low growl. His eyes were beginning to look a little bloodshot; he hadn't intended to stay awake for this long. The fatigue was beginning to catch up with him. He had been awake for what seemed like forever, and the stress of the night was wearing on his nerves. "You can't help her. Just go sit down." To Vi, that felt like a light to a fuse that was burning down fast. His grip tightened on her shoulder, and the pressure made her twitch.

"Don't touch me." Vi snarled, smacking his hand away with a forceful slap. She turned on him, her eyes filled with rage. "Don't you fucking touch me." Her voice trembled along with her clenched hands. She began to storm off, wanting to be as far away as possible from Jayce and his infuriating air of superiority that he carried around like a miasma.

"Well, it's true." Jayce growled. It seemed that he had finally been pushed to his limit. Vi whipped around, the rage inside of her more than ready and willing to have another outlet. "Whose fault is it that Caitlyn's in there right now, huh? Last time I checked, _you're_ her partner. So what the hell happened, Vi?"

The implication in Jayce's tone was clear as day. Vi's eyes were narrowed and glassy as she glared him down, feeling her own restraint being pushed dangerously close to its limit.

"Don't you dare, Jayce. My priority is Caitlyn. I'd give my life for her. Jinx got the better of us, and the situation turned bad. You _know_ what she's like." Vi snarled in reply. He had hit a sensitive spot, and she was sure he knew it. To her annoyance, he actually had the guts to scoff, his large eyebrows pulled into a hard crease.

"She got the better of you both, or just you, Vi? Because while I am well aware of how dangerous Jinx is, I'm also well aware of how you are. You are almost more of a danger to Caitlyn than Jinx is. Look back at your career so far; how many times has your giant ego almost gotten Caitlyn killed?" Jayce retorted, his voice beginning to get heated. Vi went silent, gritting her teeth. Despite her anger, her gut was telling her there was some truth to his words. It made her head spin. He scoffed again and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"I will smash your face in, Jayce, don't fucking tempt me." Vi threatened, leaning into Jayce close enough to feel his breath on her face. Her own hot breath was coming out in ragged, enraged gusts.

"You are an animal, Vi." Jayce seethed through gritted teeth. Vi has never seen Jayce lose his cool. In conversation and on the battlefield, the Defender of Tomorrow was always calm, composed, and aloof. To many, it may seem as though nothing could phase him, that he was infallible. It almost excited Vi to see the fury behind Jayce's eyes, a fury that told her he was human and flawed just as she was. That he wasn't better than her like he thought he was. "You are nothing but a goddamn brute and a criminal, and that's all you'll ever be. You may wear that badge like a cop, but you're still just the same scuzzy gutter trash you were when Caitlyn found you." And that was Vi's last straw.

She pulled her aching and raw-knuckled fist back, and clocked Jayce across his strong jaw. Surprised, he reeled back from the blow, cradling his jaw in his hand. His eyes were wide with disbelief. He clenched his other hand, balling it into a fist, looking as though he were ready to strike back. With a cloud clang, the hextech gauntlets were dropped to the tiled floor. Vi raised her fists, more than ready to trade blows with the inventor. In fact, she had almost been yearning for it since she had met him. But with a growl of frustration, he let his arm drop back limply to his side. "Not here. I'm not stooping to your level." With that, he turned around and stalked off to the waiting area, Mercury Hammer still swinging on his back.

Vi almost wished he'd hit her back. At least then she wouldn't have the growing anxiety that he could be right.

The minutes turned very quickly into hours as Vi leaned against the crisp and clean hospital wall, her giant gauntlets at her feet. Vi counted the spots on the walls over and over; exactly 267 little black dots splotched sparsely across the alabaster white walls. She counted the black and grey tiles that stretched down the multitude of hallways connected to where she was. As far as she could see, there were about 685. She got up and paced the floor over and over, avoiding the EMTs and nurses who occasionally rushed by with gruesome victims lying unconscious on stretchers to their own emergency rooms.

She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until the young nurse had come back and found her slumped at the bottom of the wall, her gauntlets laying by her side. The nurse tentatively approached her, tapping the bruiser on her large steel shoulder pads.

"Excuse me, officer?" She called out quickly, shaking Vi awake. The enforcer lazily came around, eyes opening slowly and blearily. She groaned, rubbing her eyes with her right hand and pushing her messy hair out of the way. She locked eyes with the nurse, realizing where she was and jumping up with a startled cry.

"Where's Caitlyn?" she exclaimed immediately, groggily scanning her surroundings. The nurse took a step back, and gestured for Vi to calm down.

"Sheriff Deramore has made it through emergency surgery and is being moved currently into Intensive Care." she informed her, looking at the gigantic hextech gauntlets laying at their feet. "Grab your things, and if you wish, you can come see her condition."

Without hesitation, Vi scooped up her gauntlets and trotted after the nurse who had already begun walking away. Her head was reeling with the new information; so Caitlyn had made it through? But she was in the ICU? What did that mean for her? Vi wasn't exactly formally educated, and knew even less about medical terminology. In fact, this was only one of a handful of times she'd been inside of a hospital. During her criminal days, she'd treated every wound and injury on her own. To have professional help seemed so foreign to her. And having never had the luxury to watch television or movies, she had almost no knowledge about medical terminology beyond the absolute basics.

"So, is she going to be okay?" Vi asked, a desperate tone in her voice. She studied the nurse's face for any sign of emotion that could tell her anything, but her features were neutral and stoic.

"I'm sure Dr. Dubois can explain the situation to you when we get there." She offered, her heels clicking starkly against the dark tiles. "Your friend, Jayce, is already waiting by the room for you. I was surprised when you weren't in the waiting room with him."

"He's not my friend." Vi muttered bitterly. "We don't get along very well, so it was best not to wait together."

"Oh. Well, just as well then. Better than having an altercation in the emergency wing." The young nurse turned a corner, leading Vi past a reception desk and through some disinfecting stations. As they travelled through the Intensive Care Unit, Vi tried hard to look into some of the rooms they passed by. The rooms that did not have a curtain closing them off held some patients in even worse shape than Caitlyn had been in. Patients in various states of consciousness, surrounded and encompassed by a huge mass of tubes and machines. Some unconscious patients with loved ones sitting by their bedside, faces stony and yet somehow still anguished. Vi felt her stomach drop as she wondered morbidly how Caitlyn would look when they finally reached her.

It didn't take much longer, however, as Vi saw a very exhausted looking Jayce come into view at the end of the hallway. He stood beside a slightly larger room, equipped with blinds and its own door. On another day, Vi would have scoffed about how typical it was that richer patients got the bigger, more private rooms, and the lowly citizens had to make do with tiny spaces and flimsy curtains.

But not today.

"Dr. Dubois will be right with you two. He's just inside checking on her vitals." The nurse informed them. With a polite nod of her head, she turned on her heel, and hurried of to her next task.

Vi and Jayce stood around in awkward silence, both not comfortable enough to look at the other. Vi turned her gaze out a window that looked out onto the Piltover skyline, and was startle when she saw bright sunshine pouring in through the glass. She turned her attention to Jayce, who grudgingly made eye contact with her.

"What time is it?" she asked in an incredulous tone. How long had she been asleep for? Jayce pulled out his communications device and glanced at it briefly before replacing it in his jacket pocket.

"Just going on noon." He replied with an unrefined yawn. He looked like he'd stayed up the entire night, his eyes red and bloodshot He certainly didn't look like the high class aristocratic genius that he liked to present himself as. His transformation into an average person satisfied Vi greatly.

"Shit, I can't believe it's so late." Vi mumbled, tightening her grip on her gauntlets and yawning herself with an emphatic stretch. Her back and arms were incredibly sore, both from her poor sleeping position and the brawl with Jinx the night before. She was lowering her arm when Jayce awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Uh, Vi? I have to apologize for the things I said last night. That was incredibly rude and insensitive of me." He managed to get out. Vi almost snorted. She couldn't imagine he apologized much. "We were both tired and under a lot of stress last night, and I didn't mean those things." At that, Vi couldn't help but let out an incredulous snort. _Yeah right._

"There's no need to bullshit, Jayce. I know you meant what you said, and frankly, I don't really give a damn what you think about me. There's no need to save face." She replied flatly. Jayce clenched his jaw at that, clearly unsure what he should say. Luckily for him, the door before them finally creaked open, and there stood a tall, older man in a long white coat.

"Ah, hello there." The doctor greeted them both in a quiet but powerful voice. "You must be here to see Sheriff Deramore." Vi was surprised by his heavy accent; he clearly hailed from some part of Demacia. It reminded Vi of Fiora Laurent, and the Demacian champion's tendency to shout out heavily accented battle cries before tearing her armour to shreds. Vi almost shuddered at the thought.

"Yeah, I'm Officer Vi, and this is Jayce." Vi introduced, gesturing towards Jayce beside her. The doctor gave a noise of surprise, and reached out his hand to shake Jayce's.

"Ah yes! The Defender of Tomorrow! So good to meet you in person!" Dr. Dubois said emphatically, shaking his hand hand as Jayce responded with a polite smile. Vi's eyes almost rolled out of her head. She did not have the patience to wait for someone to finish licking Jayce's boots. "Anyways, if you would please follow me, we can discuss the Sheriff's condition." With that, Vi and Jayce were ushered into the sizable room, and Vi's heart almost launched up her throat.

Though Caitlyn has looked in rough shape when Vi had pulled her out of the rubble, she looked much worse. Her face had fully developed bruises, her hair was pulled back and her head wrapped in numerous bandages. The large oxygen mask that had covered Caitlyn's face the last time Vi had seen her had been replaced with a breathing tube that stuck in her mouth and travelled down inside her throat. All around her hung IV drips and monitoring equipment, the cords and tubes all hanging around her like ethereal tendrils of some otherworldly beast. Her arm was encased in a large, heavy-looking cast, looking much too big in comparison to the woman's petite body. Her classy, silken dress had been replaced by clean and pressed hospital fatigues, making Caitlyn look even smaller and uncharacteristically grubby and unrefined. Almost every inch of her pristine skin was covered in some amount of gauze and bandages, all immaculate and white as snow. Overlaying the whole sight was the constant rhythm of Caitlyn's heartbeat on the monitor, beeping evenly and with precise consistency. Vi felt her mouth go dry and her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth.

"How long is she going to be unconscious for?" Jayce was the first to break the silence as all three of them stared at the Sheriff's idle form. Dr. Dubois cleared his throat, his expression suddenly grave and serious.

"This is the problem here. Sheriff Deramore has sustained a serious head injury. The damage done to her brain has rendered her unconscious." Dr. Dubois explained, his tone taking on a detached, professional edge. Vi wondered if this was how he always sounded when delivering grave news to loved ones of patients. She thought she was going to be sick. "Because it hasn't been a full 24 hours yet, we cannot conclusively say anything, but the symptoms we are seeing right now are suggesting that she may be in a comatose state."

Jayce, in complete contrast to his usual stoic self, let his mouth fall open in shock. He stuttered a little, his words coming out jumbled over his lips.

"S-so when will he wake up?" He gaped, taking frantic glances at Caitlyn every few seconds. "Is there anything that can be done?"

The doctor shook his head solemnly. "I'm afraid that she scores quite low on the Coma Scale. Because of this, it is impossible to tell when she could wake up, or if she will at all. All we can do for her is keep her on life support, and watch to see what kind of progress she makes, if any." He straightened his shoulders, sparing a glance over his shoulder at the unconscious Caitlyn behind him. "I'm very sorry to inform you of this, especially because our dear Sheriff is extremely important to Piltover." He began to leave the room, the clacking of his polished shoes the only noise breaking the monotonous beep of Caitlyn's heartbeat. "You may visit her now, for as long as visiting hours are open." He ushered himself out of the room, the almost imperceptibly quiet click of the door marking his exit.

For a few moments, neither Vi nor Jayce moved, neither knowing what to do with the information they had been presented. Vi gently placed her gauntlets down on a nearby empty counter, and slowly approached the foot of Caitlyn's bed. Jayce cleared his throat, his voice still carrying a very slight tremble.

"She almost looks like she's sleeping." Jayce murmured quietly. Vi stated stonily up at Caitlyn's face and gave a small nod.

"Yeah, it does."

Another few moments passed by, the two of them just staring blankly at Caitlyn. It seemed like Vi could not get the reality of the situation to sink into her brain. It still felt like she was dreaming.

"I... I need to go." Jayce said suddenly. He shifted his weight between his feet in discomfort. "I'll go make sure that Jinx was brought into custody with no issues." Vi was surprised; was Jayce actually doing her a kindness? Or did he really just not know what to do with himself?

"Good idea," Vi replied, bitter at the mention of the gunner's name. She strode carefully to the side of Caitlyn's bed, and looked up, making eye contact with Jayce. She narrowed her eyebrows hatefully. "Make sure to tell her I'll be coming for her soon."

Jayce stared uncertainly at Vi for a moment before taking one last glance at Caitlyn and leaving the room. Vi waited and listened for the door's soft click and his footsteps growing distant before approaching the Sheriff's still body.

Vi's hands trembled terribly as her fingers hesitantly reached out to touch Caitlyn's. They weren't quite as cold as they had been when she had brought her here. They had also been washed of the blood that had previously stained them. Vi turned around and dragged a chair over to the bedside, dropping herself down into it unceremoniously. Her digits still shaking, she took Caitlyn's smaller hand into her own. As though to soothe herself, she ran her own stubby fingers up and down across Caitlyn's palm, wondering silently to herself whether or not the unconscious woman knew she were here doing this. She wondered even more curiously what she would think of her if she did.

"Come on, Cupcake," Vi whispered, barely audible over the heart monitor loudly voicing Caitlyn's steady heartbeat. "Don't give up on me just yet."

Vi sat there by Caitlyn's side for what seemed like forever. The sun shifted its position as it streamed in from the window on the far side of the room. She was so engrossed with her rhythmic stroking of Caitlyn's soft hand that she didn't hear the door creak open until it was too late.


	5. Smash and Grab

I would like to give a BIG ol' shoutout to thatlazybum for pointing out what I have been meaning to do since I first started writing this, and that's find the original artist(s) who made the fanart of Vi, Caitlyn, and Jinx that did indeed inspire this story. I'm so, so glad that you mentioned this, and I really do hope that this does your original work justice at all. To see the original works I'm talking about, check out zuqling and N1PS on deviantart. Definitely worth the time.

Anyways, moving forth!

"Oh. I didn't realize someone else was here." A heavily accented voice cut through the silent air so suddenly that Vi very nearly jumped out of her seat. Her head whipped up, searching for the source of the voice. The accent was aristocratic and refined, and very, very familiar. For a second, Vi thought it had been Caitlyn herself. Her stomach flipped as she quickly realized how wrong she was.

Standing by the door was a tall, regal looking woman, dressed smartly in a long, dark trench coat, neatly pressed and pristinely clean. Long chestnut hair spilled down her shoulders and framed her fair, snow white face. The lines in her face were deep, and her light brown eyes were anxious and distraught. Her skin seemed weathered and almost leathery, but still glowed with a firey vitality. Vi almost choked on her tongue; the woman was the spitting image of the unconscious Sheriff she still had her hands on. Vi was completely dumbfounded and caught off-guard. The woman narrowed her watery eyes at Vi's rough hands that were still clamped onto Caitlyn's small wrists.

"Get your hands off my daughter." The woman's surprised and kindly tone quickly turned into a commanding bark, and Vi's hands flew off Caitlyn's arm like it was a live wire. Her eyes widened as the recognition hit her like a brick wall. She'd seen the pictures around Caitlyn's office, had seen her from afar at award ceremonies for Caitlyn's accomplishments, had seen her face on the cover of the Piltover Daily. _Oh shit, this is her mom!_

"O-oh! Hello, Dr. Deramore." Vi stammered, hating how suddenly nervous she was. She told herself she had nothing to worry about, and nothing to prove to this woman, but she still felt like she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't have. She felt a burning sense of guilt and shame underneath Caitlyn's mother's withering glare. Vi stood herself up ramrod straight, pulling her shoulders back an attempting to look as respectable as possible. As she remembered the blood still sunken into her jacket and the wraps around her hands, the greasy and wild state of her hair, and the deep lines of fatigue under her eyes, Vi groaned inwardly. _So much for a good first impression._

Dr. Deramore turned her attention from Vi to Caitlyn and her eyes immediately softened. She hung her stylish bag up on a coat rack near the door, and she approached Caitlyn's side, her movements almost wraith-like. She had a way of seemingly sweeping cross the room like she owned it. The power and authority exuding off this woman made Vi very edgy. Vi backed up from Caitlyn's bed, leaning herself back against the counter and folding her arms. The elder Deramore hovered uncertainly over her daughter, her face a mix of emotions. Tentatively, she reached her hand out and cupped Caitlyn's cheek, her eyes beginning to grow watery once more.

"Oh, my sweet child," she called out softly, her voice trembling ever so slightly. "I always told her something like this would happen. I always told her it was far too dangerous to go catching criminals like some hooligan." Gently, with all the affection only a mother could have for their child, she pushed Caitlyn's hair back from the side of her face, trying to make it lie neatly despite the bandages and tubes. "I always told her, 'Caitlyn, you're a Deramore; your place isn't to run around with big guns chasing bad men.' But she was incorrigible. She just wouldn't listen. And now..." Her voice trailed off, becoming thick with emotion, just stroking her daughter's bruised cheek. Vi felt extremely uncomfortable at the show of parental affection, and against her adamant wishes, felt small pangs of jealousy bubbling in her gut. She felt sick with herself for being envious at a time like this, but the cold pool in her stomach just wouldn't go away. Was it because of her own yearning for parental affection, or resentment that her own personal time with Caitlyn was being infringed upon? Even she wasn't entirely sure.

Dr. Deramore sniffled discretely, turning her teary eyes to look at Vi. She stood up straight again, her elegant fingers leaving Caitlyn's face. She looked at Vi with such scrutiny that it made her feel as though she were being dissected, analyzed. _Sure, that isn't too impossible,_ Vi thought to herself, fidgeting a little. _She's a famous hextech researcher. She probably treats everything like an experiment, or a specimen to be analyzed._

"I'm sorry, but I don't think we've been formally introduced." She seemed about to extend her hand in formal greeting, but with one barely-hidden glance at Vi's blood-soaked wraps around her hands, she seemed to change her mind. Vi felt her face begin to burn with self-consciousness and embarrassment. _Dammit! Why should I even care? _The older woman cleared her throat politely, stiffening her neck in a gesture of superiority. "I am Dr. Cathryn Deramore, Caitlyn's mother. I believe you must be Vi."

Vi straightened her posture, her armour creaking along with her movements. "Yes, ma'am, Officer Vi." She wondered if she was supposed to bow her head in respect or something. While Cathryn Deramore was not a statesman herself, her husband was one of the most important political dignitaries in Piltover. Did that mean she demanded the same kind of respectful gestures that he would? Vi was distraught at her own lack of social graces, made even more painfully stark when compared to the woman before her.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and Vi felt suddenly cornered, her instincts telling her to raise her defenses.

"Yes, Caitlyn certainly has told me about you." No relief came to Vi's senses with that statement; her tone told her everything she needed to know about how this woman felt about her. "That means you are her partner, correct?"

Vi gulped, feeling a tension rising in the air over the steady sound of the heart monitor.

"Yes, ma'am."

There was silence after that, the older woman regarding Vi with a critical eye. Vi began feeling a nervous energy rising in the pit of her stomach. Her body felt the need to fidget, to move, to expel the nervousness somehow, but she fought against it fiercely.

"Then it is your job to protect my daughter's life, is it not?" Her voice came out hard and cold. Just like with Jayce, the implication was clear. Vi wondered how many people would blame her for Caitlyn's current condition. Even more strongly she wondered if they were right. Vi cleared her throat, trying to force herself to handle this as a professional officer would, not as her own emotional, hotheaded self.

"As members of the Piltover Police Force, Caitlyn and I are both dedicated to the protection of the citizens of Piltover first and foremost." Vi said in an almost robotic tone. She'd heard the Piltover Police Oath over and over during the last few years, but never had she actually said it herself except for when she was first brought onto the force. It felt wrong coming out of her mouth, especially when she wasn't entirely sure she believed what she was saying. "As such, in the line of duty, we must sometimes risk our lives for the greater good." The silence dragged on as Vi's heart sank. Caitlyn's mother stepped gracefully over to the window, gazing out at the skyline bathed in the late afternoon's light.

"You know, Vi, you are not unknown to me." She said, folding her arms tightly over her chest. Vi stared anxiously at her back, hands balling into fists. "When my daughter first told me about you, I looked into who you were. I searched every record, every case file, every note she could dredge up for me. And do you know what she found?" The older woman turned to look over her shoulder at Vi, her eyes narrowed and arms still firmly crossed. "_Nothing_. She couldn't find a damn thing about you. No birth certificate, no parents, no school enrollment, nothing. Nothing but some felonies and misdemeanors and the word Vi scratched on your face." The room went silent once more as Dr. Deramore eyed Vi with a critical look. Vi had never felt so exposed, so vulnerable. Her criminal past and childhood were not things she divulged to... Well, anyone. Her past was hers alone, and she didn't appreciate anyone else nosing in on it. Even to Caitlyn, her most trusted partner, her only friend, she'd only divulged the most absolute basic things necessary to get onto the force. She felt her cheeks burn under the researcher's scrutiny.

"Dr. Deramore, please-"

"All there is to show for who you are, Vi, is your reputation, which is spotty at best." Dr. Deramore continued, unfalteringly. She stopped to take a look at Caitlyn, who was clearly completely unaware of the argument going on before her. Her look of severity faltered only slightly before she returned her gaze to the enforcer. "If you were not protected by the law, you would be a public menace. I hope you realize the gravity of all the things my Caitlyn has done for you. Without her, you would still be a homeless criminal, stealing for your next meal and dying in a gutter. Considering your previous criminal affiliations, I must also say that it is difficult for me to trust you. So I must implore you, do not allow me to catch you giving affection like that to my daughter _ever again_." Her words made Vi's mouth go dry. What did she mean by that? Vi hadn't... Vi was only...

"Please, Dr. Deramore, I-" Vi began, her voice anxious and desperate, but the researcher cut her off again.

"I hope I have made myself clear, Officer. Now if you please, I would like some time alone to see my daughter as I wait for her father's train to come in." The older woman dismissed Vi with an unaffected wave of her hand, and Vi let her shoulders slump in a dejected way. Shoving her bloodied hands in the pockets of her scuffed up bomber jacket, she bowed her head slightly and dragged herself out of the hospital room with one last longing look at Caitlyn's peaceful face.

Moments later, as she made her way down the corridor, she stopped in her tracks. She realized with a low, frustrated groan that she had left her precious gauntlets in Caitlyn's room. She went back, dragging her heels the whole way there. She slowly creaked the door back open and looked around. Caitlyn's mother was standing at the counter, examining Vi's gauntlets. Vi raise her eyebrows in surprise.

Cathryn Deramore, aside from being a well-known hextech researcher, was also a teacher at Heimerdinger's Yordle Academy of Science and Progress, and a very good one at that. Vi would have dreamed about being one of her students when she was a teenager had she known of her. So for Vi to see the woman looking over Vi's work with a critical, observant eye made her uncomfortable.

"Crude, but surprisingly well made." Dr. Deramore muttered to herself. She flipped the machinery over, inspecting it thoroughly and running her fingers over the metal with an expert's purpose. "Materials used are pretty low quality, some stronger metals would surely be more tactically useful. But the work is surprisingly good." Vi cleared her throat awkwardly, causing the woman engrossed in study to startle.

"Oh! I noticed you forgot your gauntlets. They're quite a... Unique work, I have to say." She said, keeping her voice even and professional. She moved out of the way so Vi could gather them up in her arms.

Vi felt a little uncomfortable with the small praise. Most people who had seen her gauntlets, the work she took the most pride in, were too busy being punched in the face by them to give her any compliments. The exception, of course, had been Caitlyn. The exception to everything had always been Caitlyn.

"Thank you, Dr. Deramore." Vi managed to get out, the previous conversation still weighing heavily on her mind.

"May I ask where you studied?" The older woman tilted her head in curiosity, and Vi felt her face burn with embarrassment. _She's not complimenting me at all_, Vi thought bitterly. _She's insulting me._

"I was never trained formally, ma'am." Vi forced herself to respond, hoping her voice didn't betray her discomfort or shame. Never had her ego and self-esteem been so beaten in so few hours. The older woman's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, but she said nothing of it. Vi wondered what her surprise meant; was she impressed? The woman's severe face was very difficult to read.

"Oh. I see." She said, assuming her statuesque demeanor once more. "Farewell again, then, Officer Vi." With that, she sat herself down gracefully in the chair Vi had been sitting in before, and turned her attention to the unconscious Caitlyn. Vi stood there uncomfortably for a few seconds before taking her leave.

As she exited the ICU, her emotions and thoughts all a jumble, her tired brain wondered what she should do. But then, she knew exactly what was next.

Vi had someone else she had to visit.

She wasn't going to bother going home to wash up and rest; the sudden fury and anger boiling in her gut gave her all the energy she needed. She called for a squad car to pick her up, and waited outside.

As she waited for her ride, she sprawled herself on the curb, gauntlets by her side. Leaning on her knees, she pulled out her pack of cigarettes from her back pocket, and carefully slid a single one from the rather crushed box. She procured an old metal flip lighter, very obviously well used and loved by the collection of scratches and dents on its casing, and lit the cigarette held between her sharp teeth.

Vi inhaled deeply, savouring the heat of smoke that flew into her lungs and seemed to spread a warmth through her body to the tips of her fingers. She relished the acrid taste of it in her mouth, consciously ignoring the very recent memory of the smoke that had filled her lungs only several short hours earlier. With a heavy sigh, she blew the used smoke back out, the haze of it blurring her vision a little and making her eyes water.

Vi didn't smoke much anymore; Caitlyn had seen to that. And Vi never could resist trying to please Caitlyn. The urge to impress her, to make her proud was a very close second to her urge to rebel against all attempts to control her, ironically enough. If Vi wasn't so distraught and exhausted, she might have even laughed at the contradiction.

As it was, Vi just tiredly dragged on her cigarette, feeling her anger boiling hot in her gut. When the patrol car pulled up to her, the blue and white paint bright enough to hurt her eyes, she took one last long drag and flicked the cigarette into a nearby ashtray. Gathering up her gauntlets, she hauled herself into the vehicle.

Upon arriving at the Piltover Police Department, Vi headed straight to the locker room. Without a glance, Vi found her way to her own locker, hastily putting in her combination and wrenching the door open with almost enough force to take it off its hinges. The other officers in the room gave her startled looks, but said nothing. It seemed they had noticed Caitlyn's conspicuous absence, and surely knew the toll it would take on Vi. She had heard the rumors, heard the whispers about her and Caitlyn that she so aggressively tried to ignore.

Her locker was unsurprisingly quite sparse; just some extra wraps and an old, beaten up waterbottle sat inside. Vi deposited her gauntlets into the locker, pausing just long enough to glance at the photo of her and Caitlyn at Vi's acceptance onto the force that hung on the door. Giving a sad half smile at the photograph, she slammed the locker closed and stomped down the hall to the entrance to the holding cell.

One by one she stamped down the spiraled stairs, her bloodied hands bouncing with each step. She wore a dark, heavy grimace, set deep into her usually cheery or cocky face. As she reached the bottom, she spotted the two guards standing by the one lone, dark cell at the end of the cramped hallway. She nodded to the two of them, both tall, older men who surprisingly nodded back in understanding. While Vi may not be universally well-liked in the department, this was her and Caitlyn's case, and these cops clearly respected that. They got up wearily, looking like they could use the break anyways. One lingered behind a moment, sending a backwards glance into the darkness behind the bars with disdain before joining his comrade at the stairs.

"She's all yours."

That's what Vi liked to hear.

Slowly, the enforcer strut her way to the cell's boundary, cracking her knuckles loudly and making a show of rolling her neck. With a loud, clattering bang, she slammed one of the chairs the officers had been sitting on down backwards and sat on it, resting her head on the back of the seat.

"How's the cell, pipsqueak? Just came down to make sure you didn't die on the way here." She called out into the void, voice tired and sore, but forcibly cocky. The absence of light was a psychological tactic; keeping a dangerous prisoner in the dark and confined kept them feeling small and powerless.

"Just dandy, Fathands." Came the reply, much weaker than Vi had expected. She heard the light jingle of chains rattling together, the movement only slight. "Much better now that you're here, though."

Vi turned her nose up at that. If this scrawny brat thought she would get under her skin again, she had another thing coming.

Vi leaned over to the nearby wall, slamming a large switch up. Suddenly, in a blaze of white that almost blinded Vi herself, the lights flashed on with a deep hum. Jinx gave a small startled noise of pain, cringing and wincing painfully in her cell. Vi had to say, she was proud as she took in the sight of the little menace; the young gunner's body had certainly taken a toll from their skirmish, and her tiny, impish face was almost unrecognizable amongst the bruises and swollen lumps that made up her cheeks. Her right eye had clearly burst a blood vessel, making it impossible to tell where her completely crimson eye ended and her magenta iris began. Vi felt a little ashamed if it, but seeing the lunatic in such a state gave her a rush of excitement, a sadistic pleasure. She found that she was smiling despite herself.

"Well, don't you look like shit." Vi sneered, leering at the smaller girl with a fierce looking in her eye. The girl was sprawled haphazardly across a bed that seemed awkwardly cramped even for her diminutive stature. Her wrists were linked together with large, heavy looking handcuffs, jingling ever so softly with her movements. Her bare midriff, rake-thin and boney, was swathed in its own array of bruises, long tendrils of purple and black slinking around her waist like a snake. The bruises spread along her entire torso, mingling with the skin that was covered in tattoos. Vi inspected her injuries with smug satisfaction. Jinx, however, quirked a thin, blue eyebrow, pulling herself into a sitting position with some difficulty. She grinned mischievously.

"Like what you see, Fathands?" She drawled, dropping her high-pitched voice to as sultry of a tone as she could manage. Vi twitched a little, the seductive tone only infuriating her more. She refused to show it though, only giving a rough, barking scoff in reply.

"I do, to be honest." She shifted forward, leaning further over the chair's backrest. "I like seeing you look busted up for once. It suits you."

"Does the charred meat sack look suit Sheriff Dare-to-snore?" Jinx asked innocently, bloodied eyes boring into Vi's. She knew exactly how to push her buttons. Vi growled involuntarily at that, grimacing and baring her teeth like an animal. Jinx laughed, shrill but much more wheezy than usual. "Ooh! So it does then!" She crawled slowly to the end of her minuscule bed, Vi taking care to note the small winces of pain in her movements. Maybe Vi had managed to break her ribs, or at the very least bruise them. _Good. I hope it's fucking agonizing._

When Jinx was as close to the bars as she could get, her forehead almost resting on the cool iron, she stared Vi in the eye. "Tell me, Fathands, did I get her?" She whispered, her wheezing breaths seeming to echo off the walls. The small puffs of air washed over Vi's face in little hot wisps. "Did I get her? Like a one-two-bullseye? Is she takin' the big snooze?"

Jinx gave a startled cry as Vi thrust her hands between the bars and grabbed a hold of her long braids and pulled on them hard.

Vi had heard enough. Her restraint was on an even shorter chain than usual.

"You got lucky that I didn't end your miserable fucking life back on that dirty sidewalk, you circus freak." Vi snarled, ripping at Jinx's braids with each word. Jinx tried to pull away, her face getting pressed tightly against the solid bars, but Vi's grip was unwavering. "If it were up to me, you'd already be in the fucking ground by now, but instead, you're gonna rot in a prison cell for the rest of your pathetic existence, which is too good for you."

"Jeez, Fathands, I've never seen you so brutal and rough. What would Hatlady think? Do you think she'd still like her precious little pet if she knew it was rabid?" Jinx croned, still struggling as best she could to push away from the bars. Vi's face tightened in pained rage.

"Because of you, _she doesn't even know!_" Vi hissed, pulling the braids a bit tighter. Jinx gave a wicked glare, not one of amusement, but one of rising frustration. That was new.

"Look at you, Fathands! I guess you're not as perfect and good as the Sheriff thought!" Jinx taunted, her face beginning to look uncomfortably squished against the bars despite her clear efforts to pull away. With a lurch in her stomach, Vi let the gunner's braids go, the sudden lack of tension sending Jinx sprawling backwards onto the bed. Even Jinx looked surprised at her sudden freedom. Wordlessly, Vi stood up, placed her chair back to its original place, and began walking away. Jinx sat up, staring after her, face confused and, for once, without a grin.

"Where ya going, Fathands? You're done so soon? I was just starting to enjoy your company!" Jinx called after her, but Vi offered no response to her goading.

As Vi climbed the steps, passing the guards go waited outside, she listened to Jinx's shouts grow more and more distant. She made her way to her locker, quietly and dejectedly putting her code into the lock. Swinging the door open, she gazed at the photo of her and Caitlyn once more. She let out a long sigh.

No, Caitlyn had met Vi at her worst; she had seen the person she'd been before she had given her a second chance. Caitlyn did not think she was good, nor perfect.

With a painful ache in her chest, Vi realized she didn't know what Caitlyn thought of her.

And now it seemed she could no longer ask.


	6. She's Such a Misfit

Hello all! It's been a little while, but classes and papers will all be ending soon, so I can get back to writing a little bit more :) I hope you enjoy this chapter – it may be a flashback, but at least it's Caitlyn-Vi interaction! Also, this chapter is dedicated to my wonderful girlfriend, with whom I am sharing our 4th anniversary. I hope she mystery gifts me some good skins.

Anyways, let's get on with it.

* * *

Caitlyn could never forget her first meeting with Vi.

It was a few years earlier, during a blisteringly hot summer. The hextech powered fans spun as hard as they could in the Sheriff's office, blowing the lazy warm air around her office. Caitlyn tutted softly, pulling herself up from her desk and opening the windows lining the wall behind her. She sighed a breath of relief as the cooler air poured in in waves.

The low whirring of the fans made the room seem abuzz, and Caitlyn gave a satisfied smile to herself. Swiping a hand gently against her forehead to gather the perspiration there, she sat back down at her desk to the mountainous pile of paperwork before her.

Caitlyn had been busy these past few months. While she had only been instated as the acting Sheriff of the Piltover police force a few years prior, she had already made quite a few ripples in the city. Crime was down, community service was up, and Piltover was on its way to becoming one of the (if not _the_) best cities in all of Valoran. Despite her best attempts at modesty, Caitlyn couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. No one could argue that the change was not because of her.

Lately, however, she was finding herself inundated with more and more paperwork, rather than the traditional hands-on sleuthing she had relished in as a teenager. She was best suited for chasing bad guys down personally, not bureaucracy and playing nice with the city's elite. She had left her comfy life of luxury to escape from doing that. But, to keep the city safe, she needed to be here, filing reports and coaxing more budget money out of the mayor.

That didn't mean she had to like it.

As she skimmed the papers carefully, she made a small noise of disapproval. With most petty crime almost non-existent, Caitlyn had only one last major hurdle to tackle: the gangs. The gangs still had far too much power in Piltover, still making a big impact on the city's hextech exports and contributing to the drug trade. Nothing she did, however, seemed to be enough. They were well-established and powerful, sinking their claws into many different elements of the Piltovian government. Despite this, Caitlyn was determined to bring them down.

The only problem was that they had no inside knowledge of how they worked. All attempts to place inside informants in the gangs had proven fruitless; Caitlyn had lost more good men and women than she cared to think about. Economic sanctions did not work. Brute force did not work. The increased threat of police presence did nothing to deter the gangs from operating in almost plain sight. Her traditional tactics were simply not working, and Caitlyn would need to adapt, or else the citizens of Piltover would be the ones to suffer from it.

Until, of course, this anomaly had come along and landed right in Caitlyn's lap.

She had first heard it a few weeks prior. Reports of known criminals found beaten, their possessions stolen, their confidence shaken up. It didn't make sense; these were hardened criminals, and all of a sudden, they were being robbed and almost too scared to tell the tale.

News spread quickly of some kind of rogue vigilante prowling around Piltover, beating up criminals and taking all their stolen goods like some kind of selfish Robin Hood. But none of her paid informants on the street could tell her much; glimpses of pink hair, utterly decimated crime scenes, brutally beaten up victims. Caitlyn had almost been on the verge of overlooking it for now until one of her informants told her that this vigilante was an ex-gang member.

Then Caitlyn's interest had been piqued.

This vigilante could be the _deus ex machina_ Caitlyn had been searching for. Someone who had been inside the gangs, knew how they worked, and was apparently not on very good terms with them. She could be the ace in the hole that Caitlyn needed.

And if this vigilante turned out to be too crooked to work with the police, or refused her offer, then he could be taken down.

Really, it was a win-win situation either way.

The only thing that was stalling Caitlyn from offering her police-sanctioned olive branch was _finding_ the bugger. While many of the city's seedy underbelly had heard of or spotted the vigilante, almost no one had much of a pin on his location. Caitlyn's report was so sparse that it could barely be called a report at all.

All she could do was wait, and hope that something, _anything_, would come up.

As the heat of the afternoon began to break and the rich evening air began to slide in, Caitlyn gave a long yawn accompanied by a stretch. She had worked diligently and without pause since the morning, and she was paying for it in back pain. Giving a quick glance at the clock, she realized it was nearly time for her shift to end. With a sigh of satisfaction, she neatly filed away the mammoth pile of completed work on her desk, tidying up for the end of the day. Meticulously, she shut every window, turned off every fan, and placed her trademark hat upon her head. Slinging her rifle over her shoulder, she turned the light off and locked her office door.

The click of her heels were among the sole sounds in the department as she made her way to the elevator. She was just calling the elevator, tapping her foot lightly, when she heard hasty footfalls coming up behind her. Out of instinct she whipped around, searching for the source. One of her detectives was hurrying up to her, calling her as she went.

"Sheriff!" She called across the corridor, closing the gap between them hastily. "Sheriff, wait!"

Ready for danger, Caitlyn straightened up and nearly reached for her rifle. The young woman caught up to her, puffing heavily. As soon as she could, she straightened up respectfully.

"Detective Conrad. What is it?" Caitlyn asked curiously, quirking an elegant eyebrow. The woman indicated a file folder tucked under her arm that Caitlyn had not noticed before. She held it up for her to see. It was the sparse report on the vigilante she sought after.

"We think we've found the vigilante, ma'am." She blurted out breathlessly.

It seemed Caitlyn's work never ended.

"So, what do we know so far?" Caitlyn asked, her tone all business as she strode to the parking garage with the detective and a couple officers by her side. She passed her rifle off to one of the officers, and stepped into the open door of the vehicle that was offered to her. She slid into the seat gracefully, donning a pair of sunglasses and setting her hat down in the backseat. The two plainsclothes officers situated themselves in the backseat, firearms hidden at their feet in case the operation went south. Conrad hauled herself into the driver's seat, opening the automatic garage doors and igniting the engine. As she pulled out into the warm and brightly lit evening streets of Piltover, she explained the situation.

"Our undercover officers have been, as per your orders, hanging around the bars in the downtown underside. One of the officers in the Mana and Mead called in saying someone matching the description was spotted." She told the Sheriff, who tapped her lips thoughtfully with a slender finger.

"Target's description, detective? How can we be so sure?" Caitlyn asked, watching out the window as they moved from the clean, high-class neighbourhood the police department was situated in into the seedier areas of the city. She noted the number of already drunken figures roaming the streets despite the dinner hour having only just barely begun. She made a mental note to increase patrols around this area, and if possible, keep the location in mind for a rehabilitation center.

"The official description, as you know, ma'am, didn't give us much to go on. This target however, seems to fit pretty nicely; current target seems to be a female in her early twenties, pink hair, gang tattoos, and a proclivity for violence. The officer noticed her because she started a brawl on top of the bar." She said, her narrowed eyes scanning the street carefully. In an unmarked police vehicle, traffic did not behave as conveniently as it would in a standard police car. This made getting to their destination especially frustrating. Caitlyn snorted in an uncharacteristically unrefined fashion.

"Oh dear. A brawler then? I certainly hope she's worth the trouble." Caitlyn bemoaned, crossing her arms. "Where is our destination, then? The bar she was seen in?" The detective shook her head.

"No, naturally she was thrown out once three other men joined the brawl and she beat them all senseless." The detective gave a small smile. "I have to say, that's impressive in itself."

Caitlyn had to agree. She was becoming a little hesitant about her, though; she seemed quite volatile, and were she to actually, by some miracle, agree to join the force, it would cause no small amount of friction among the officers, not to mention a huge headache for Caitlyn. While her most loyal detectives were behind her 100%, many of the other members of the department felt uneasy about letting a criminal into their ranks. They feared it would bring more harm than good, and that Caitlyn was taking far too much of a gamble with her. But Caitlyn still had confidence; she would not let the others feed her with their own trepidation. She knew the score, and she knew that if she could make the recruitment of this vigilante work, it would be a boon to them all. They needed the gangs to be crushed under her heel, and she needed the tools to do it.

"Where are we going, then?" Caitlyn questioned curiously, noticing that their vehicle was beginning to slow down. The detective deftly pulled into the parking lot of yet another seedy looking bar. The lot, however, was almost completely empty, and the bar didn't seem like it was even open; she couldn't even hear music coming from the place. _Unusual for a Friday night_. The detective shifted the vehicle into park.

"One of the undercover officers followed her back here. There's a suite beneath the bar that he saw her go into with another female. He thinks it could be her home." Conrad passed Caitlyn a small handgun, cocking it before handing it to her. "Would you like backup, ma'am?" Caitlyn shook her head, tucking the firearm into a holster strapped to her thigh, and tucking it under her dress.

"No, I'd like to do this personally, one on one. The last thing I want to do is scare her off. I'll hail you on communications if things go bad, though." Caitlyn responded, opening the door and pulling herself out gracefully. "You keep mobile, but don't wander off, all right?"

"Yes, ma'am. Good luck in there." With one last solemn nod, the for was shut, an the vehicle pulled away, leaving Caitlyn alone in the grungy parking lot. With a deep breath to steady what little nerves she was feeling, she began to stride over to the staircase leading down to a wide door that must have been the suite. Caitlyn wondered how to proceed; should she knock? Should she insist on being let in? She didn't want to spook her, but she also didn't want to give her the opportunity to escape either. Without a proper warrant this could get dicey, and stepping a little closer over the line of the law than she was comfortable going. Still, she was here to do a job, and she was determined to see it through.

Finally, with her hand fingering the gun on her thigh, she tried the doorknob as silently as she could manage, and found it to be unlocked. _Huh. Not much security for an infamous criminal beater._

The door opened up into a very dark corridor, leading in an L-shape at the end with a dim light creeping in. Caitlyn crept in, silently closing the door behind her, and slowly made her way in. There was a thick but grimy carpet beneath her feet, cushioning her footfalls and helping her remain quiet. She felt her blood rushing in her ears, her pulse pounding and the adrenaline making her hearing sharper than ever. Faintly, from down the hall, she could hear the distant sound of voices. Pushing herself to sneak a little faster, Caitlyn listened as carefully as she could. She could make out a higher pitched giggle, followed by a lower, huskier guffaw, low, but still distinctly feminine. She reached the end of the corridor, bathing herself in dim, reddish light, and peeked around.

Inside was a large, open area, not unlike a kitchen. A very, very, very messy kitchen, littered with empty dishes and several tipped over boxes of cereal. Caitlyn stiffened her lip in disgust; oh dear. What kind of new officer was she gaining from this? Bright red neon lights for various beer companies lined the walls, giving the room an unearthly red glow, and it made it difficult for her eyes to adjust. She heard the voices getting closer and louder, and she noticed a partition wall hiding their origins. Standing up straight in the dim lighting, Caitlyn pressed herself against the wall, listening to the giggles and hushed murmurs coming from the other room. Calming her racing heart and counting to three, she steadied her breath and called out.

"If you have any weapons, drop them now. This is your only warning. I _am_ armed and prepared to defend myself." Caitlyn barked, her tone definitively commanding and authoritative.

"What the fuck?" Came the same slurred, low voice, and Caitlyn heard a squeak. Before the vigilante in the other room could react, she whipped out of her cover her, firearm raised. Caitlyn immediately gave a disgusted groan, fighting to keep the firearm steady.

"Oh, _good lord_."

The room before her was actually a large bedroom, seemingly even larger because of the sparse decoration. More red bar lights lit this room, and it cast a dim glow over the two figures hovering over the edge of the large, disheveled bed. She recognized the vigilante immediately, messy bubblegum pink hair shaved on one side. Beneath her eye was a dark tattoo of the numerals VI, scrunched up in the woman's confused features. She was dressed in tight black pants and a simple loose tank top, and, Caitlyn noted, a bright red bomber jacket was thrown haphazardly at her feet. The source of the other voice, Caitlyn was quick to note, was a young looking girl who was in the vigilante's arms, and very conspicuously without a shirt and with her pants hanging loosely with the buckle undone. She flung her arms over her bright green undergarments, fumbling to pull up her pants and pawing for a shirt buried somewhere in the mass of blankets and sheets. The vigilante looked a little slow and confused, and it made Caitlyn's face burn hot. This was certainly not the brilliant, sophisticated vigilante she had imagined. She had been hoping for an ex-gang leader, perhaps someone higher up, who could help name gang members and their operations. It seemed she had been severely wrong. The woman let the younger girl's waist go, allowing her to search for her lost clothing while scratching her own pink head in confusion.

"Please tell me she is neither underage nor a prostitute." Caitlyn groaned, two hands still steadily holding up her pistol. She was both mortified for catching the two in intimacy, and for her own mistake in putting hope in this vigilante. The pink-haired criminal gave a slow glance at the clearly horrified and embarrassed young woman who had thrown a random t-shirt clearly too big for her from the floor over her tiny frame. She then gave a guffaw.

"Naw, naw. She's just a cute little missy I met back in the bar." The pink-haired woman explained, her speech slurred slightly. She gave the girl an affectionate pat on the back, but received only a glare in return. She didn't seem to notice, however, and just gave a broad grin. Caitlyn wrinkled her nose slightly as the smell finally hit her. _Oh, lord, she's intoxicated._

"Well, please miss, if you'd excuse us, I have business to settle with this woman. Please leave." Caitlyn's words were a suggestion, but the authority behind them gleaned the clear order she was giving. With a panicked nod, the girl gathered up a bag and hurried past Caitlyn. The pink-haired woman gave a boisterous wave and hollered, "I'll call you some time, cutie!"

As soon as the slam of the entrance doors filled the air, Caitlyn turned her attention back to the drunken figure before her. The woman was slumped slightly over, looking at Caitlyn with mild trepidation, but a large amount of curiosity. There was a moment of silence between them as Caitlyn continued to train her handgun on the woman's body.

"Can I get you anything to drink, pretty lady?" The woman finally said, and Caitlyn almost groaned. The woman leaned back on her arms, cocking her head with interest.

"_No_, thank you. I'm here to ask you a few questions. I'm Sheriff Caitlyn Deramore of the Piltover Police Force, and I've heard a few things about you." Caitlyn explained, and the woman before her groaned and fell back on the bed.

"I knew I shouldn't have gone for that drink. I knew it. I knew I should've just celebrated my birthday at home." She wailed drunkenly, and Caitlyn almost felt sorry for her. A sigh blew out of the lying figure. "So, why is it then, Sheriff? Breaking and entering? Thievery? Assault? Battery?"

"No, not now, I'm afraid. I am actually not here to arrest you." Caitlyn quirked an eyebrow when the figure sat up quickly and gave her a baffled look. Her hair was so disheveled and tangled Caitlyn almost wished she could wash it herself.

"If you're not here to arrest me... Then what are you here for?" The woman looked wary now, and very, very confused, her scarred eyebrow pulling into a harsh crease. Caitlyn could sense that she wasn't a threat after all, and she slowly lowered her gun, making sure to make a show of placing the gun in her holster to make it clear she still had easy access to it.

"I'm here to make you an offer." Caitlyn folded her arms over her chest, leaned back in a slightly more relaxed manner. "I'm offering to completely absolve you of all warrants for your arrest and all crimes you've been charged with, and the opportunity to join the force in a special position as my deputy and partner."

The silence hung like a cloud in the room for several painful minutes. The pink-haired woman just stared at Caitlyn with her mouth agape for the entire time, and Caitlyn was worried she was going to laugh in her face. Just as Caitlyn began shifting uncomfortably, the woman cleared her throat.

"So, you're saying I can beat up bad guys... And not have to run from the cops?" She asked, gesturing her hands in small circles as she thought. Caitlyn nodded.

"Your only other option at this point is to submit to your arrest." Caitlyn placed a hand on her hip, and gave an almost cocky smirk. "Resisting arrest is not an advisable course of action." Silence filled the room once more, and the woman stared Caitlyn directly in the eye.

"You're completely serious? This isn't a trap?" She finally asked, her demeanor significantly sobered up and cautious. Caitlyn nodded once more.

"Completely serious. I've been looking for you for quite some time."

This statement seemed to light a fire in the woman's eyes, and she began to laugh, a booming guffaw that seemed to explode in the small space, completely unrefined and obnoxious but not entirely unpleasant to listen to. She stood up and shot out a muscular hand as an offer of a handshake.

"I'll do it, Sheriff." Caitlyn slipped her delicate hand briefly into the offered one, and was almost surprised by the strength of the woman's grip as she enthusiastically shook Caitlyn's hand. "Where do we start?" Caitlyn have a small smile, pleased it had gone so well.

"Well, we could start with a name." She replied pleasantly, drawing herself back up to her full height. The other woman grinned broadly, seemingly lit with a live wire by how much energy she was surging with. She snatched the bomber jacket from where it was discarded on the floor and pulled it on, the grin cemented on her face.

"Vi. The name's Vi." She responded energetically, violet eyes ablaze and scrunched with her grin.

Caitlyn marched back to the undercover vehicle, having signaled them to return to the site. Vi was excitedly following behind her like an energetic puppy, carrying a set of gigantic metal gloves in her arms. Caitlyn had told her to bring whatever her most important possessions were, and while she had expected clothing or some other essentials, she had certainly not expected a huge pair of gauntlets. But Vi had insisted they were her most important possession, and so Caitlyn had allowed her to bring them.

Caitlyn pulled open the passenger side door, gesturing to Vi to sit in the backseat. As she pulled herself in, she noted the suspicious look on the faces of the two officers already occupying the backseat. Vi gave a glare back, shoving herself rudely into the backseat and pushing the officer out of the way. She rested the gauntlets on her lap, and gave the other passengers a wolfish grin. Caitlyn sighed heavily.

"Officers, detective, meet Vi. She's to be my new deputy and partner. I implore you to treat her with the utmost respect." Caitlyn introduced, her tone friendly but with a distinct authoritative undertone. She knew this would be an uphill battle. The officers gave grunts in return, and only the detective in the driver's seat gave a warm smile and greeting.

"Hello, Vi. I'm Detective Conrad, Homicide Unit." She greeted, sending a smile in Vi's direction as she started the car. Vi sent her wolfish grin back at her, and the detective uncomfortably turned back to face the wheel. Caitlyn shot a glance in the rear view mirror back at Vi, who had her gauntlets in her lap and had her arms spread carefree behind her head.

"So, what's first on the to-do list, Sheriff Hot Accent?" Vi boomed from the backseat, and the officers beside her almost gave a snort. Caitlyn groaned inwardly, sinking forward and holding her hand to her forehead.

How much of a boon Vi would turn out to be remained to be seen.

_Oh, by the Void, why can't anything be simple?_


End file.
